2015 is
shaping up to be the worst of Washington’s statewide droughts

in a “severe” drought (99.99 percent) and says that
more than 31 percent of our state is in an “extreme” drought.

It’s the
first time the state has reached these conditions in a decade.

Exposed rock and boulders at Skykomish River BridgePhoto: Seth Preston

Ginny Stern
with the Washington Department of Health is a veteran of drought relief work.
She says simply that this drought is “way worse” than the statewide droughts of
2001 and 2005.

The health
department is seeing water systems starting to switch to emergency water supplies,
driven by the demand for water created by 90-degree temperatures. In fact, the
National Weather Service (NWS) reports that July has been the warmest month in recorded
Seattle weather history dating back to 1890.

Next week,
the health department will be sharing a list of drinking water systems at risk
of water shortages with county health directors.

The impacts
on our drinking water supplies are certainly not the only sign that 2015 is
shaping up to be the worst drought in Washington modern history:

Almost 80 of our streams and rivers
are running at below normal or record low flows.

The Walla Walla River went dry a week
ago as measured by the USGS gauge near Touchet. This was caused both by the
drought itself and by the large amount of water being diverted from the Walla
Walla’s tributaries to fight the Blue Creek fire.

Ecology has curtailed the water use for
almost 500 irrigators across the state to sustain stream flows. Some of these
water rights date back to the 1800s.

Crops are at risk of failure in areas
where farmers have had to stop their diversions. In the Yakima Basin, that means orchards, hay and alfalfa crops on some 2,153
acres. In the Dungeness Basin, irrigators’ choice to curtail
water use from the Dungeness River because of low flows means they will lose
their last cutting of hay.

Record-breaking warm water
temperatures from “the Blob” in the North Pacific Ocean are increasing harmful
algae blooms, closing shellfish harvests and causing unfavorable conditions for
salmon and other marine life in Puget Sound.

The cities of Everett, Seattle and
Tacoma have implemented the first stage of their water shortage response plans, which means they are asking
customers to carefully manage their water use and make sure they are not
wasting water.

The state Department of Fish &
Wildlife is closing areas to fishing or restricting fishing at an unprecedented
rate: more than 40 closures so far this year. This is to relieve stress on fish
already struggling with high water temperatures and low stream flows.

Ecology, partner agencies focused on drought response

Ecology is
working with the state departments of Health, Fish & Wildlife, Agriculture
and Natural Resources to help relieve the hardships that are occurring due to
water storages. Ecology will soon announce our first round of recipients for for
drought relief funds. Our grant program is supporting projects designed by
cities, utilities and irrigation districts to help protect public health and
safety from effects of the drought and to reduce economic or environmental
impacts from water shortages. The Legislature authorized $16 million over the
next two years for Ecology’s drought relief work, including the grant program.

No relief from drought conditions on
the horizon

And the hot
weather driving these shortages shows no sign of relenting. In fact, the
National Weather Service reports that July has been the warmest month in
Seattle weather history dating back to 1890.

Neither the state
weather forecast nor the West Coast outlook offer much hope of relief from the
drought in the months ahead.

The August
forecast calls for more hot and dry weather in Washington and the long-term
forecast is calling for a strong El Niñoweather pattern to continue into next
year. If accurate, this will mean another low snowpack and another year of
drought.

The U.S. Drought Monitor this week classified 99.99%
of Washington state as being in a “severe” drought. The red swaths on the map
show the 31% of the state classified as being in “extreme” drought.

About us

At Ecology, we’re proud to help protect Washington’s environment and quality of life. We strive to promote the wise management of our air, land and water for the benefit of current and future generations.